Miscarriage is far more common than many people realise. An estimated one in four women experience miscarriage and one in three hundred have had three or four miscarriages. Suffering a miscarriage is one of the most devastating things that can happen to a woman, and to her partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A miscarriage can occur after natural conception and also after IVF treatment. A miscarriage is when a baby is lost before the 24th week of pregnancy. There are three other kinds of foetal loss that aren\u2019t strictly miscarriages since the woman\u2019s body doesn\u2019t expel anything spontaneously: they are the \u201cblighted ovum\u201d, \u201cmissed abortion\u201d and \u201cchemical pregnancy\u201d. A blighted ovum occurs when an ultrasound shows an amniotic sac, but no embryo within it. A \u2018missed abortion\u2019 is where the embryo or foetus has died but has not been expelled from the uterus. In a chemical pregnancy, hormone levels indicate a pregnancy, but loss occurred before the fifth week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is important before you start aiming to conceive again to make sure that you have rested and feel well enough before trying again. You may have lost a lot of blood during the miscarriage and your doctor may check that you are not anemic and if you are, you will need to take iron supplements and be re-tested to make sure that your level is back to normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also make sure that you are feeling emotionally recharged before you try again. Give yourself time to grieve and try to bond with your partner, too. Grief can become so all-consuming that it\u2019s easy to forget that you are in this together and can offer support to each other for the loss of the baby you made together. You may also experience feelings of guilt but it\u2019s important to know that miscarriage is not your fault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is normally suggested that you wait until you have had your first period before trying again so that it\u2019s easy to date the next pregnancy. But my recommendation would be to give yourself longer (ideally to have three menstrual cycles) to help you feel both physically and emotionally ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It takes your egg three months to mature before it is released at ovulation, so you have a three-month window of opportunity to get yourself and your eggs really healthy before you get pregnant again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Smoking Alcohol<\/strong> Caffeine<\/strong> Something that may not be usually mentioned concerning miscarriage is that your male partner needs to look after himself too. Although it is the woman who miscarries it is important that your partner eats well, stops smoking and also reduces alcohol intake because a miscarriage can also occur if the sperm is not as healthy as it could be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As mentioned above, it takes at least three months for immature eggs to be ready for ovulation and also three months for sperm cells to mature, ready to be ejaculated so it is worthwhile both of you preparing for the next pregnancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is important that both the man and woman eat as healthily as possible and your diet should be supplemented in order to ensure that both you and your male partner have good levels of specific nutrients that are vital for preventing miscarriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most women trying to become pregnant know about the importance of folic acid, which has been proven to prevent spina bifida. But folic acid is extremely important if you have experienced miscarriage. A high level of an amino acid called homocysteine (which damages blood vessels) has been found in women who experience recurrent miscarriage. It is, therefore, important that folic acid (in the active methyl folate form) and the vitamins B6 and B12 form a part of a good supplement plan as these three nutrients help to reduce homocysteine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These vitamins are important antioxidants and can help prevent chromosome damage and abnormal blood clotting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zinc is an essential component of genetic material and a zinc deficiency can cause chromosome changes in both partners, leading to an increased risk of miscarriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s more, zinc plays a vital role in normal cell division, so it is particularly important that adequate levels are available at the time of conception in order to prevent a miscarriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Researchers have found that women who miscarry have low levels of selenium in their blood compared to women who don\u2019t miscarry. Selenium is a powerful antioxidant and it can prevent chromosome breakage and DNA damage, which are known to be a cause of miscarriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Selenium is also needed for healthy sperm formation and as an antioxidant, selenium can also protect against possible DNA damage to sperm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vitamin D helps to balance your immune system which is important for reducing the risk of miscarriage. Vitamin D decreases the Th1 autoimmune response, but it also helps to promote the Th2 cells which your body needs to maintain a pregnancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Smoking is known to increase the risk of miscarriage. It is also thought that chemicals in tobacco smoke can damage the DNA in the sperm leading to increased miscarriage rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is known that alcohol consumption during pregnancy can increase the risk of miscarriage. And more than 5 units a week has a negative effect on sperm quality which can increase the risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Caffeine intake has been found to increase the risk of a miscarriage. Drinking only 2 cups of coffee (200 mg of caffeine) a day is associated with a 25% increased risk of miscarriage.1<\/sup> And problems with sperm health are connected with caffeine intake which could increase the risk of miscarriage.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\nMen need to look after their health too<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The three-month rule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Folic Acid<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Vitamins C and E<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Zinc<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Selenium<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Vitamin D<\/h2>\n\n\n\n